Belue: Remembering 1980, when it was all about team

Playing college football this time of season is special. The suffocating heat is long gone, and so are the patsy opponents. Its rock 'em, sock 'em football through the end of the season.

Time for meaningful, big-time games. Months of hard work have prepared you and your team for these opportunities. It's time to win and make memories.

Back in 1980 at Georgia, the November schedule was serious. South Carolina was up first, and included a Heisman showdown with Herschel Walker and George Rogers. That was in front of a packed Sanford Stadium crowd. Thought the house was coming down, when Herschel broke off that "22 draw" play, and sprinted past those Gamecocks with an angle for a 76-yard touchdown.

Later, Erk Russell blitzed 'em, big George fumbled and we won 13-10.

Florida, Auburn and Georgia Tech loomed. Rivals that wanted to knock us off. But I knew the group I was playing with welcomed the challenge. No one wanted an easy path to a championship. Bring 'em on. We were ready.

Even practice was fun. I remember thinking can work hard AND have fun. We had some guys that truly loved competing. Scott Woerner, Tim Morrison, Jeff Harper, Nate Taylor, Lindsay Scott, Eddie Weaver, Wayne Radloff and Tim Crowe were guys that just embraced the competition.

It was one of those deals where others simply fell in line. We got after each other in practice and had some laughs too.

It was fun.

That Jacksonville trip became legendary. The Florida Gators had talent. They were capable and we understood that. I remember watching Florida game film back in my dorm room that week with Lindsay, and we both agreed that if he got the ball in space, he could outrun 'em. Lindsay was frustrated up until that point because of limited opportunities. But he was ready. Thank goodness, he was ready to deliver.

It was a quick turnaround the next week. A trip to Auburn loomed. A SEC title was on the line. This was a place where we had come up short the two previous seasons. Auburn ruined it for us in 1978 and 1979. We were determined that would not happen this time. Emotions carried over from Jacksonville right through the practice week and into Jordan-Hare Stadium. One big step from a title and a trip to the Sugar Bowl ... we would not be stopped.

After taking Auburn down 31-21 that day, we closed the doors to the locker room and celebrated. That was one of the special memories I still hold close to me. Mission accomplished. We had a group hug. We all hugged each other.

Erk beamed.

Vince got a little choked up.

What a feeling. There was such a feeling of accomplishment. Such team unity. We did it together.

A bad Georgia Tech team waited after a week off. Riding Herschel, we dusted them at Sanford Stadium, 38-20, to finish the season undefeated and ranked No. 1. As I watched the seniors take the field that day, I remember thinking how lucky I was to be coming back for another season.

This was fun.

This was another important life lesson for me. Together, anything is possible (we were 6-5 in 1979). The play-calling was nothing to get excited about. We weren't going to exploit weaknesses in the secondary, or anything like that. Kept reminding myself those thoughts were selfish. It was about team.